Wes Flinn's Ohio Statehouse Report

Make sure you check out Wes' Polstate.com post on Ohio politics.

Big City Eyes, Little Mind

Joe Shaw of the UC News Record writes, or should I say laments, on living in Cincinnati after graduation. He pines for living in great city like Chicago, New York, or LA. Those truly are great cities. What bugs me is that Joe is foolish enough to compare Cincinnati to those cities and say we don't have what they have. No shit, Sherlock. We are not a Mega-Metropolis. That should have been obvious after your first week in town. We are also not Buttlick, Kansas either. We are a big city, with great attributes. We do have our problems and we maybe at a crossroads, where we become a confederation of suburban fiefdoms, or regain some glory as a great city as in past days of the 19th century.

Now Mr. Shaw really has a problem to contend with. He ends his screed with, "Cincinnati pretty much sucks. It's best to get out while you have the chance." What he must remember, when he has to say where he went to college either he lies or tells the truth and UC. That by itself may be worth lying about, but that is another story (only joking UC folks.) What Mr. Shaw must admit, after being logically ask, is why he was foolish enough to and live in Cincinnati at all? If he was born here why did he stay and go to college here. If you can get in UC, you can surely get into OSU, so he could have spent his time in CowTown. He could have spent his time in hot and sticky Gainesville Florida, hours from the beaches, and in the middle of humidity. Why not try college in Nebraska or Arkansas or what is so great about Lexington and UK?

I can understand why people don't like Cincinnati, but I don't know why they would have been stupid enough to come here or as to why then if they are so brilliant to not get out sooner. Did someone chain him to his dorm room desk? Could he not have fled this horrid town sooner?

My little town in Western, NY would likely be considered hell on Earth for Mr. Shaw. We honesty had no jobs and no chance for growth and hour plus outside of dying Buffalo.

What better opportunity could any human have than to try and change a city as it hovers in a crossroads? I guess I would have trouble hiring Mr. Shaw, he seems to want to run from a challenge and stick to the sure thing. Mega pond, microfish. Big Pond, little fish. I will take little over micro, if you please.

Appeasement to Prudes

If you listen to local AM talk radio on a Clear Channel Station you would after a while hear a host or a caller belittle anyone who appeases a foreign power or group. France is made the target of scorn most often. Now, however, when you think of appeasers, think of Clear Channel. Rick Bird reports in the Post that WEBN is believed to be on a 7 second delay like most AM talk radio stations. AM stations have unknown callers to worry about, FM stations only have their DJ to worry about or the occasional guest. The need for it is suspect, and will it cost advertisers more in the long run?

Clear Channel fears the new FCC (the one on a puritanical crusade) and is trying to appease the beast by requiring all FM Stations to go on a delay. Listeners will notice relatively little change, but there will be some.

I will just be laughing whenever I hear a Clear Channel talk show host say or agree with comments against anyone even appearing to be appeasing someone. The beast pays homage to the beast, how fitting, yet how sad.

Flip-Flop Protestors

I did a little bit more research into the flip-floppers who protested at the Kerry Rally last month and I ran into this column in the Dayton Daily News. It appears one Cornel TerreBlanche, age 18, of South Africa was one of the anti-Kerry protestors (insurgents?) who appeared at the Kerry Rally here in Cincinnati back on April 5th. In that column we learn:

TerreBlanche said she is a college student in southwestern Ohio, but asked that her school not be identified. She heard that College Republicans at her school planned a protest and she wanted to join in.

Based on that information I did a simple Google search on Cornel TerreBlanche and the only the hit that came up was at this location. That's a website for the Alpha Psi Omega group, the Cedarville University's psychology department club. Cedarville University is the Bob Jones University of Ohio, located in Cedarville, OH south of Springfield. I would then surmise that the group of rowdies all came from Cedarville.

This surprises me. I had assumed this group was from UC or maybe Miami. Lynne Cheney was the keynote speaker at their graduation yesterday. I wonder if the folks at Cedarville know about her 1981 book called Sisters? I wonder if it meets their "ethical" standards in the student handbook.

Protest Bush on Tuesday at 5:30 PM

Jene Galvin, local Democratic activist is reporting on the Jerry for Ohio Blog that a protest will occur outside the Cincinnati Gardens an hour before Bush is set to appear.

Will Si Lies be out in full force? Will anyone get arrested? I hope it is peaceful. I would like to see a good turnout and one that can be heard, and not banished to the far side of a parking lot across the street from the Garden.

Interesting protest ideas: In the thought of "flip-flops" used by some young GOP foot soldiers at the Kerry Rally last month, what are some thoughtful and striking protest ideas? The flip-flop is so lowbrow. I wonder if it was some smart marketing major or if they got talking points about it from the GOP?

The Dean of Cincinnati Looks at AliciaReece.com

The "Dean" has a look and comes down hard on Cincinnati Vice Mayor Alicia Reece's website. The Dean pulls no punches in his criticism of the website calling the article "How To Recognize Political Manipulation." I guess I don't expect political websites to be much more than propaganda tools. The only issue that has been raised about this site is whether it is a campaign site or her personal site. That is a legal distinction that only matters in campaign financing that may or may not be in technical conflict of the law.

Driehaus Wins House Race

Well, not officially yet, but with Witte leaving the race for the 31st Ohio House seat. I assume Witte felt he could not win, so he just gave up to avoid going into debt. Terry Deter's name was thrown out there, but according to the article he will not run because:

Deters confirmed that there had been talks, but said Driehaus is a conservative pro-life Democrat who deserves to be re-elected.

"If it weren't Steve, I'd run," he said. "We like Steve."

you know you a DINO when Terry Deters endorses you. Driehaus is one who supported DOMA in Ohio. I don't think Witte or Deters would be that much different on many social issues. So this is good news for Democrats in only so much as the GOP stranglehold on the state government will not gain in this district. How can you gain when you get help on issues already?